This invention relates to a fuel injector pack which is connected to a manifold at one end, and which receives a steel fuel rail having valve bodies. The injector pack is a molded plastic item that includes the electronics for the injector valve.
Fuel injectors are typically electronically controlled valves that are positioned between a fuel rail and an injector pack. Typically, the fuel rail is made of a metal and typically steel. Especially recently, the injector packs may be formed of a plastic. The interface between the passage in the injector pack which receives the valve, and which communicates the fuel into an airflow passage must be tightly sealed. Emissions from the fuel cannot leak through any of the connections due to strict governmental regulations. The prior art had several o-ring seals which in some cases may have allowed some vapor emissions.
In the prior art, providing the electrical connection to the injector valve was somewhat complex. Moreover, it was sometimes difficult to service the electrical connections. The valves and their associated electronics were somehow connected either to the fuel rail or to the injector packs, and the connection between the three components was then made.
This resulted in several connection interfaces, all of which need to be tightly sealed, and several assembly operations.
In a disclosed embodiment of this invention, the electronics for the valves are associated with the injector pack, while the valve bodies are associated with the fuel rail. The valves are inserted into openings in passages in the injector pack for communicating the fuel into an airflow passage. The electronics, including the coil for the valve are molded into the injector pack. A single seal is then placed between the injector pack and the valve. This is the only required seal, and the connections are thus easily made fluid tight.
In preferred embodiments of this invention, a manifold is also directly sealed to the top of the injector pack. The injector pack preferably includes wiring leading to each of the individual coils for each of the individual valves.
These and other features of the present invention would be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.